Expert panels proposed for Victoria

The Victorian government needs to transfer planning decision responsibility from councillors to expert assessment panels to get the fury out of the planning process, according to the Property Council.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the government would not consider a shift, rather, he wanted more clarity for councils to have greater control over local planning.

As part of the Property Council of Australia’s Development Assessment Report Card, Victorian executive director Jennifer Cunich said expert panels would ideally combine local council staff with industry experts to ultimately reduce the number of cases ending up before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“There is a conflict of interest when councillors are deciding on developments,’’ she said.

Councils needed to implement policy and separate approvals to avoid becoming bogged down in planning disputes, she said.

Victoria’s report card also stated that code assessments were urgently needed to remove ambiguity from the system.

Residential codes formed part of Mr Guy’s election platform, and he said codes had been drafted across the planning system and a bill would be introduced into parliament before the end of the financial year. “I’m confident this will bring permits down to a 10-day turnaround,’’ he said.

“We want to get councillors off assessing how high a fence should be and working on strategic planning.’’

The property council also called for a Victorian Planning Authority to oversee all areas of Victoria’s planning system.

“We need to include regional areas in an overarching planning authority, you cannot plan in isolation,’’ Ms Cunich said.

Victoria came in fifth overall on the Property Council’s ranking of planning effectiveness across the eight states and territories.